General Story Stuff

Ghost

His new legal identity is Joseph Ray Lumen, which is the same as his original name. He considered changing his surname to Văn (headcanon surname, not canon) like Max did with their mother's maiden name, but he decided to keep Lumen since that was his mom's surname when she died. He keeps going by Ghost even though he gets weird looks and nosy questions for it. He loves the attention and makes up a new bullshit story every time someone asks. He lets the polycule call him Joey, but the slashers usually still call him Ghost out of habit.

He adjusts to the modern world the easiest. He still makes outdated references, but people assume he's just a hipster. He complains about new tech being too complicated or just worse than the old stuff, but he dedicates significant time and energy to learn it. He has a “screenager” phase for a while, and Leather gets so fed up that he takes Ghost's phone and puts it on a high shelf.

He has three decades of film to catch up on, and he is dedicated to the cause. He demands a minimum of one movie night per week, and in October there's at least a week of multiple movies a night for Halloween. Leather is the one who holds the remote because Ghost kept pausing movies to comment on scenes and almost got strangled by Mike.

He works at an escape room venue on the boardwalk during tourist season. He doesn't work during the off season and instead helps around the house with Jay. 

Leather

His new legal identity is Sawyer Hewitt Montero. He keeps his name mostly the same, but adds his mother's maiden surname as a double last name. He keeps “Hewitt” because it was his family surname that his brothers had, and he still cares for them even though he understands it was an abusive environment.

He has the hardest time adjusting to the modern world. Not only is he the oldest, he lived in a very rural area, so he was technologically behind even in his own time. The highest tech he had growing up was a propane powered refrigerator. He eventually gets used to the simpler things like the microwave, but he opts to get an old flip phone instead of a cell phone, and he only gets one at all so that the others can call him when he's out.

The townhouse doesn't have much space to garden, but Leather works with what he has. He has a flower garden in the small yard out front, and Max helped Leather set up a raised bed garden behind the house. He grows vegetables, herbs, and fruits in the raised beds.

He works as a veterinary technician. Fun fact, you don't need a license to be one in the state of New Jersey. Whether that's a good or bad idea, I don't know, but Leather would be putting in the work to learn and do things right, even with the tech barrier. He loves helping animals and making a difference, but dealing with terrible owners and animals that can't be saved makes him come home frustrated or depressed sometimes. The others are always there to cheer him up and take his mind off things in their own ways.

Jay

His new legal identity is Jason Shahey. He doesn't remember what his old surname was, but he heard Carol's surname a lot growing up, and it's become a part of his identity.

He adjusts to the modern world decently well since he’s pretty adaptable, but he can be too eager about it. He has run into traffic and trespassed on multiple occasions because he's used to going wherever he wants in the forest. He eventually learns the new rules, but he thinks a lot of them are dumb.

He finally has the time and resources to be creative in the kitchen, and he makes the most of it. He comes up with new recipes every week and is the main cook of the house just for the love of the game.

He works at a local summer camp during the summer. For the rest of the year, he is the ultimate house husband. A five person household has a lot of laundry and cooking to do.

Mike

His new legal identity is Michael Savage. He originally wanted to take Max's surname, but Jay complained that was unfair. He decided to keep the name his parents used to erase him from the family. He's proud that he's not a Dunlap anymore.

He's more averse to the modern world like Leather is, but it's not about the tech difference. It's more about being out in public instead of in a facility like he's used to. His structure is gone in exchange for his freedom, and that change bothers him for a while. He loves that he can track the location of everyone else with his phone, and he is constantly calling if anyone goes somewhere they didn't explicitly say they were going to. Ghost and Leather get annoyed by his surveillance, but Max and Jay don't mind.

He gets very into crafts. He used to knit and crochet in the mental hospital, and it was one of the few things he actually enjoyed back then. He picks those back up and discovers more artsy hands-on things to do like sculpting and origami. His favorite creations decorate the entire house, and he breaks the ones he doesn't like so that he can reuse their materials.

He tried to work as a personal trainer at the gym for a while, but he kept losing clients for being “too intense” or “too intimidating”. He was unemployed for a while and quite salty about it until Max saw him cutting his own hair in the mirror and remarked on how good he was at it. He spends about a year getting his license in cosmetology and then becomes a hair stylist at the local salon. Most of his clients are older women since they live in a common retiree area, and they love talking to the quiet young man with such long silky hair. He never interrupts them (because he isn't listening). He takes summers off to help around the house since Ghost and Jay work more during the summer.

Max

They keep their original identity. They never got caught for Rebecca's murder, and Jaxon will help keep it that way, so there's no need for them to change their name.

They don't need to adjust to a new world since they didn't have a time gap, but the adjustment from life with Rebecca to life with the slashers is significant for them. They revert back to old habits not long after things settle down, and the slashers get pretty concerned at the sudden change in behavior. They eventually figure out a new normal, but it's an uncomfortable process for everyone.

They are so so happy to be back by the ocean. They are dragging the slashers to the beach every day, even when it's cold or raining. Even if they don't get to swim, they love just staring out at the water.

After everything settles down, they get a job environmentally managing public beaches. It's mostly paperwork and regulations, but they enjoy the occasional field outing when they can, and they get a lot of time off.

—

Nicknames

I had to make a whole section for it because I like it so much.

Ghost

He has nicknames for everyone. His list doesn't include all of them, just the most common ones, as he is prone to making shit up in the moment. Most of them are antagonistic, especially toward Mike and Leather, but he's sweeter to Jay and Max.

Leather: hick, redneck, palooka

Jay: lamb-chop, gingerbread man, cookie

Mike: knife-boy, rapunzel, princess

Max: little devil, baby, twist (referencing twist killer for the trope)

All: N/A - everyone has their own

Leather

He doesn't usually use nicknames unless he's annoyed or “excited” (down bad). Max is an exception since calling them pig/piglet is a habit at this point. You may notice a pattern in his nickname choices.

Ghost: fox

Jay: lamb

Mike: wolf

Max: pig, piglet

All: doll, sugar (the Southern in him)

Jay

He actually rarely uses nicknames or pet names. When he does, it's usually something nonsensical that he just made up. His list includes the highlights of those.

Ghost: cute skunk

Leather: caramel corn man

Mike: pretty terminator

Max: wiggly fishy

All: N/A - these abominations only occur in nature

Mike

Not only does he not use nicknames, he doesn't tend to use names at all. If he wants someone's attention, he will just grab them. He just calls everyone “his”. The exception is for Jay and Max when Mike is feeling frisky.

Jay: puppy (bedroom shenanigans)

Max: kitty (bedroom shenanigans)

All: Mine 

Max

They almost exclusively use pet names once the relationship is more established. The only exception is with Ghost, but that's because calling him “Joey” already feels intimate.

Ghost: Joey, baby, pumpkin

Leather: babe, sweet pea

Jay: sweetie/sweetie pie, sweetness, sweetheart, etc.

Mike: darling, dearest, my love, my heart

All: dear, honey/hon, love

—

Sleep

I should have included this in my sleepy doodle post, but I wrote it after.

Ghost

He is the only one of the slashers to sleep past noon, and he is proud of that. As a self identifying creature of the dark, he wakes up late and stays up late.

He enjoys being both little spoon and big spoon if it's not too hot, but only if the bed is big enough for him to move around. He'll tolerate the occasional group sleep pile, but his back usually hurts after. The things he does for love.

He sleeps in pajama pants most of the time, but is also the most prone to falling asleep in whatever he was wearing that day.

He needs noise to sleep. He grew up in a city, so constant sound is what he's used to.

Leather

He always wakes up at sunrise, no matter how late he stays up. The farmer clock in his head just can't be turned off. He's a big coffee drinker because of this, and also usually the first to bed.

He likes having someone to hold at night, but since he goes to bed earlier, he usually falls asleep by himself and then wakes up with someone appearing snuggled up to his chest. He's usually big spoon just because of his size, but sometimes Mike or Ghost will spoon him.

He sleeps in just his boxers, even during winter.

He takes daily naps, partially to make up for his tendency to wake up so early, and partially out of habit. If he's napping in a communal room, his partners may take it as an invitation to join by sleeping on top of him. Comfy boyfriend bed.

Jay

Like Leather, he's an early riser, but he usually stays up later. He just needs less sleep.

He refuses to sleep alone, and he is happy to be big spoon or little spoon, but spoons must be had.

He sleeps in his underwear most of the time, but will wear pajamas during the winter.

He is a restless sleeper, so whatever position he and his bedmate/s fall asleep in is probably not the one they wake up in.

Mike

Mike is usually awake before everyone else because he hasn't gone to sleep yet, but he stays in bed until whoever he's clinging to gets up.

He also refuses to sleep alone, so either Max, Jay, or both of them must be with him. On rare occasion, he may sneak into Leather's room.

He usually sleeps either completely naked or in boxers, but he will sometimes wear pajamas in the winter.

Despite the allegations, he does actually sleep now that he's mortal, just not a lot. He has pretty severe insomnia and may sleep only a few hours some nights, or sometimes not at all. He also drinks a lot of coffee like Leather, but he adds so much sugar. It's not even coffee anymore after what he does to it. Even Jay thinks it's too sweet.

Max

They are naturally a night owl like Ghost is, but they make themself get up before noon to keep a sleep schedule for work.

Like Jay, they are happy to be big spoon or little spoon, but they usually end up as little spoon since they're the smallest of the group.

They always sleep in pajamas unless they pass out somewhere else, which doesn't happen as often as it used to.

They used to have insomnia, but it turns out they're just so anxious that they can't sleep alone. As soon as they got their shiny new bedwarmers (some may call them boyfriends), their sleep issues mostly went away. They still have the occasional bout of insomnia, but Mike keeps them company on sleepless nights.

—

Sleeping Arrangements

Max is the center of the polycule, so there was initially fighting over who got to share a bed with them. The beds and rooms in the townhouse are too small to comfortably fit all five of them at once, so they agreed on a rotational system. Each dating pair within the slasher polycule (Leather+Ghost and Jay+Mike) gets three days a week, and one day a week is a group sleepover in the living room during movie night.

Polycule End Game

The whole group eventually ends up in a polycule with Max in the middle dating the other four, Ghost and Leather dating, and Jay and Mike dating. Ghost and Mike have a sort of romantic antagonistic tension, but neither of them would claim dating status. Leather and Mike have a mutual respect and physical attraction, but not much romantic interaction. Ghost and Jay are brought together by mutual whimsy and mutual freak (horny). They don't feel romantic toward one another, but they're friendly and physical. Leather and Jay are on friendly terms, but don't really have a lot in common other than enjoying nature, which doesn't carry a conversation far. Leather finds Jay overwhelming, and Jay finds Leather boring, so they both prefer having a buffer partner when they're together. The whole group still refers to everyone in it as “partners” because there is a deep connection even for the members they have no romantic attraction to. Shared trauma and all that.

The (Painful) Process

It is a painful process to get to any form of established relationship with these people. The slashers all keep hooking up as they had been doing in the void, but nobody dares to mention any feelings beyond just physical attraction for a while. Max convinces themself that any romantic tension in Nevermoor was just because they were all trapped together, and surely the slashers will move on now that they have access to other options.

Despite everyone's denial of feelings, they all pretty much act like they're dating long before any labels became official. Max, Mike, and Jay are all over each other in terms of physical affection, Ghost “ironically” adds cheesy rom-com movies to his rotation, and Leather is constantly mothering everyone.

Jay is the first one to suggest a date with Mike and Max, because he was under the assumption that they were already dating, and he is very confused and sad when they deny it. Max feels bad after seeing his reaction, so they try to sit down and have a conversation about it, but that just leads to Mike throwing a fit over Max being “his”, which shuts down any suggestion Ghost was going to make about polyamory for a long time.

It takes another few months before Ghost and Mike end up having a fight over how clingy Mike is of Max, in which Ghost ends up angrily confessing that he likes Max too, so Mike has to share. Max never lets him live this moment down.

Finally, the whole group has a discussion about how everyone feels and what's going on. Max confesses that they like all of them because they all understand something fundamental about Max and vice-versa. Ghost finally gets to introduce everyone to the concept of polyamory. Jay is immediately on board, Max and Leather are hesitant, and Mike is not a fan. Ghost gets huffy that Mike won't even consider it, but Max shuts the whole thing down and says if they're not all in, then it's not happening.

Mike later begrudgingly says that he'll try it out because he admits that while he feels most possessive of Max, he also has affection for Jay that he hates admitting to. He becomes okay with the situation once he realizes how little things actually change in their daily lives.

Mike continues to have the most jealousy issues, Ghost has some, and Jay and Leather are pretty chill. Max has no space to be jealous because they are constantly being yanked around.

Dysfunction

“Happily ever after” sounds nice, but it isn't very realistic. They are all extremely traumatized, and that impacts how they interact with each other. It gets to a good place eventually, but they don't roll out of Nevermoor and immediately develop healthy communication and coping skills.

TW: unintentional abuse, dysfunctional relationships

Ghost

He isn't usually violent, but he gets mean. He says things he doesn't mean, and he goes for where it hurts. He at least knows how to apologize when he fucks up, but it doesn't undo the damage.

Leather

Unsurprisingly, he's the most stable of the group. He's used to being the calm one in a dysfunctional situation, but it takes a toll on him. Sometimes he'll lose his patience and just pick up whoever is arguing with him, but he never hurts them.

Jay

He's the most unpredictable. Most of the time, he's the one trying to diffuse the situation and cheer people up, but he explodes when he's set off. It's usually if someone makes him feel unwanted. He can become violent, yell, and break things, but his outbursts are usually short-lived and followed by crying and apologizing.

Mike

He's more level-headed like Leather is, but he has a temper when provoked. He'll get violent toward the other slashers, but he usually has enough self control not to hurt Max since they’re smaller. He may still grab them if they try to walk away from him during an argument.

Max

They fall back into old habits pretty quickly after they all moved to the townhouse, old habits being fawning. The sudden shift in behavior was jarring for the others since Max went from an aggressive and angry person to a pushover. Their worst behavior is trying to provoke violence from the others because a familiar abusive environment is more comfortable to them than an unfamiliar safe environment. It's very not good, and doesn't usually work.

Therapy

With all of that going on, they do actually do something about it instead of staying in a toxic situation. Coincidentally, the order they get therapy is the order I usually put them in.

Ghost

He's been to therapy before back when he was alive, so he was the first to realize there was a problem.

He goes to therapy for his commitment issues and eventually works through his fear of being abandoned or betrayed again. It never goes away completely, but he gets to a much better place and is able to relax more in the relationship.

Leather

He starts going to therapy after he sees Ghost start behaving nicer. He's skeptical about how effective it is at first, but Ghost encourages him to give it a try.

He works through his self-esteem issues and develops ways to express his emotions without bottling them up. Again, his self-loathing never fully goes away, but it gets better.

Jay

He only tries therapy after Ghost basically tricks him into it. Not a good move from Ghost, but at least it worked. Jay stays in denial about his messed up childhood for a long time and only admits that maybe, just maybe, it wasn't actually that great when Ghost tries to pressure him to talk about his childhood with the kids from his camp. Jay realizes that if he feels afraid to tell people about it, then it's probably for a reason.

He works on feeling confident in his own agency, and he actually makes the biggest breakthrough out of the whole group. There are still moments when he doubts himself just like any person would, but he gets to a place where he feels confident in his own decisions.

Mike

He is not happy about it, but he goes to therapy as a last resort to convince Max to get therapy. He's anxious about going, not that he would admit that, because the last time he went to “therapy” he was electrocuted. The 70s were not great for people with mental struggles. He is very confused when he shows up and finds a normal, cushy room with a couch and no lab coats.

He has a multitude of issues to work through, and honestly never gets very far with a lot of them. He learns to regulate his emotions better, but they never stop feeling intense, and he never gives up his possessiveness.

Max

They are the last to go despite being very supportive of everyone else going. They are a major hypocrite when it comes to their own trauma. Of course their issues aren't even a big deal guys, what a silly thing to suggest. When Mike of all people goes, they finally give in and try it out.

They work through their trauma and how it has shaped their behaviors and their perception of others. They get better at not assuming the worst from others, but they are forever anxious about the “what-if"s.

Less Dysfunction

The fruits of their mental labor.

Ghost

He becomes more careful with his words. He still has mean moments, but he tries not to say things in the heat of the moment. Instead of drawing things out to have the last word, he'll leave the situation to cool off and come back later for a proper conversation.

Leather

He gets better at expressing his feelings and setting boundaries, and the others get better about not making him the default mediator.

Jay

Amazing progress from him. His violent outbursts almost completely go away. When he feels like he needs to express his frustration physically, he will go outside and get a stick to break instead of breaking anything in the house. Mike gives him permission to use his punching bag.

Mike

He still gets grouchy, but he becomes less violent. He channels his physicality into clinginess instead, which is still not great during arguments, but it’s better at least. Instead of smacking one of the other slashers when he gets annoyed, Mike will just grab them and hold them. It's not great when someone is trying to leave to go calm down, but it's better than starting a physical fight.

Max

—

Fluff Stuff

The spoonful of sugar with your medicine. As promised, things end up fine. No relationship is perfect, especially when everyone involved has significant trauma, but they do get to a healthy situation! And here is the domestic fluff as a reward. Some of this will be repeating what was in the relationship headcanons post.

Ghost

He's not the most cuddly or verbally affectionate, but he is the king of romantic gestures. He likes to show how much he loves his partners while pretending it's just for theatrics, but he's looking at their faces five times just to make sure they like it.

Leather

He's not overtly affectionate in most ways, but subtle gestures are common for him. He often puts a hand on his partner's back or shoulder. He grows everyone's favorite native flowers in the garden and makes sure to pick up everyone's favorite snacks before one of Ghost's mandatory movie nights. When he's feeling in the mood, he lets the more cuddly people lay on him like a human beanbag.

Jay

Very very cuddly, to no one's surprise. He doesn't consciously think about it, he just constantly needs to be touching someone. He's not very verbally affectionate because he doesn't think to be, but he will reciprocate it when someone else is to him. He loves giving gifts, but they usually aren't well thought out. If he sees something that he finds exciting, he will get it for one of his partners and not really consider if they would also like it.

Mike

Not a talker, not a gifter, but very much a cuddler, you just may not call it cuddling. It's more like clinging. He wants one of his partners in his lap all the time. Mike, Jay, and Max usually end up in a pile on the couch while Leather and Ghost enjoy their personal space in separate recliners.

Max

Supreme leader of fluff. As you may have gathered from the nicknames and from previous art, Max is extremely affectionate once they realize they're allowed to be. They rival Mike in terms of attachment, except their possessiveness goes both ways. Everyone in the group is theirs, and they are also very happy to belong to the group. Physical and verbal affection are both common for them, and they will occasionally get the others meaningful gifts, though they usually reserve bigger gifts for holidays and birthdays.

—

Reasons for Attraction

These are just some of the main things they admire about each other because I thought it would be fun to explore that.

Ghost

Leather: Sometimes it pisses him off, but he really appreciates how Leather can stay calm during bad situations. Ghost is impulsive and driven by mood swings, so Leather's more stoic nature balances him out.

Jay: Although Ghost doesn't usually share it, he appreciates Jay's blind optimism. Ghost often assumes the worst, so having Jay around to offer brighter alternatives is good for him.

Mike: It's definitely not healthy or good, but Ghost envies Mike's apathy. Mike is not literally devoid of empathy, but he cares very little about the world around him or people outside the group.

Max: Ghost appreciates how loyal Max is. He'll make fun of them for taking even the smallest promises so seriously, but it's reassuring to believe that Max would never betray him. Trust doesn't come easy for him, so someone like Max makes him feel secure.

Leather

Ghost: For as annoying as he sometimes finds it, Leather appreciates how Ghost fills the silence for him. Ghost is often the one carrying conversations or just talking at Leather to keep him company, and Leather enjoys it more often than he lets on.

Jay: They aren't as close as the rest of the group, but Leather appreciates the work Jay puts into the household. Even with his childish tendencies and boundless energy, he's always helping out.

Mike: Leather admires Mike's commitment. Leather can be too hesitant sometimes, but Mike is decisive and driven when it comes to things he wants.

Max: Leather appreciates how honest Max is. They don't sugarcoat and they have an aversion to lying at all, and he finds that relieving.

Jay

Ghost: Jay loves that Ghost will go out on little adventures with him. The rest of the group are lower energy introverts, so having Ghost around to do more outgoing activities is nice.

Leather: Again, they're not as close, but Jay appreciates Leather's ability to be a leader. He still craves a dominant presence, and Leather often fills that role within the group.

Mike: Jay loves how broody and mysterious Mike can be. Mike is never boring to Jay because he feels like he never knows everything Mike is thinking. They have a lot of history together, and Jay still finds Mike to be like a puzzle after all this time.

Max: Jay likes that Max just gets him. They have a lot of innate qualities in common, so things that he has to explain to the others, Max just understands.

Mike

Ghost: As much as Ghost annoys Mike, Mike also can't help but admire the rebellious spirit that Ghost embodies. His whole personality down to the way he dresses is all about defiance, and that's something that Mike always wanted for himself.

Leather: Mike admires Leather's strength, both literal and figurative. His sheer size is something Mike finds attractive, but also his ability to handle tense situations without resorting to violence like Mike tends to.

Jay: He hates that he loves Jay, but he does. Jay's endless kindness and unconditional love were the only warmth Mike had for a long time, and he appreciates that Jay never gave up on him even when he was at his worst.

Max: Similar to Jay, there are things about Mike that Max just gets without him having to play charades to communicate it. They have a lot in common in mannerisms and preferences, so Mike finds it easy to be around them.

Max

Ghost: Max appreciates Ghost's understanding of their circumstances. Max's life was literally orchestrated to mirror Ghost's, so they have a lot of shared experiences. Their mother passed when they were a teen, they were manipulated and ultimately betrayed by someone they trusted, and they ended up seeking revenge through killing.

Leather: Max admires Leather's integrity. He's been through hell just like the rest of them, but he never decided to embrace his inner violence like the others did. Max wishes they had the strength to forgive like Leather does.

Jay: Max likes Jay for the same reason Jay likes Max. They were selected by Dunlap Co specifically because of how psychologically similar they are to Jay. Their different experiences have caused them to express their traits differently, but it's still nice to be understood.

Mike: Max finds comfort in Mike's possessiveness. They find it harder to question if they're truly wanted when Mike is constantly clinging to them and reminding them of it.