#puppetsverse

Okokok so:

(You’ve awakened the beast, I never shut up about my ocs lol) (sat down to write a brief preview and ended up with 2 thousand words) (warning: some parts are very rough)

So, one day, four teens awaken tied together in a room containing nothing but a door, painted beige to match the rest of the room. Eventually, they manage to get out of their bounds and find the key to the locked door (don’t ask me how: some puzzle or something I’m not quite sure). Turns out they work pretty damn well together.

On the other side, they find a combined living room and kitchen with a hallway that leads to four separate bedrooms (two to the left, two to the right) and a locked door at the end. The door looks to be a front door, but it’s impossible to tell since it won’t open. There are no windows in any room.

The teens exchange a look as they realize that this place must be another puzzle. But, before they can start discussing their strategy, a loud ping sounds from the living room. There, on the TV, reads a message:

Thus starts the team’s first mission: (insert mission here) (something with going out to fight someone I think) (the front door unlocks and then they go outside and their mission awaits) (also superhero suits or something)

One mission turns into two, two turns into a dozen, and suddenly months have gone by and the team knows very little about who is sending them on these missions or why they are fighting. However, they without fail, every time the TV goes off, they suit up and head out the door. They try to resist, but it’s the only time they get to leave the house and cabin fever is killing them. And the second they finish fighting whatever monster lays on the other side or saving whatever innocent civilian needs it they all pass out and wake up the next morning back in their new beds.

During a fight on a particularly stormy day, one teen tries to escape. But, before he’s gotten 20 feet, he’s out cold. The rest of the team is too overwhelmed with fighting to try and help him, and he lies there the entire fight. Afterwards, he wakes up with everyone else like normal.

They don’t spend all their time doing missions, however. At some point a training gym shows up in their house. There are also tons of board games, craft supplies, books, video games, and anything else the teens could want. They are never bored. The fridge is always full. If someone mentions they want anything, be it food, entertainment, or comfort items, it appears somewhere in the house after the next mission.

Even the missions aren’t too bad. No matter how dangerous the threat seems to be, nobody has yet to get more than a few scratches or maybe a bruise. The team works well together. They win every time, no matter the odds.

If you ignore the fact that they are trapped in a place without windows, only allowed outside to fight, and aren’t allowed any way to contact the outside world, the team is living pretty nice. But of course they are constantly planning an escape. However, every time they try, they end up thwarted. It’s scary how perfectly they’re stopped every time. It’s almost as if someone is always listening. They quickly figure out that they must be bugged, but even the quietest conversations seem to get picked up. There is no privacy in this place.

Let’s meet the team!!

But first! One of them is hiding something. Can you guess who (I’m curious. Also, give your reasonings)?

Alex (she/her), 19, lesbian:

Alex has been an actress for as long as she remembers. Alex is actually the main character of another of my stories, “the before” (stand in title. It’s called that ‘cause it happens before “Puppets”). Alex doesn’t let anybody in. Nobody knows the real her. Honestly, even Alex feels like she’ll never know the real her. Her real personality has gotten so tangled with her celebrity persona that she doesn’t know where one ends and the other starts. And just when she’d gotten casted with in her next big role, and her team had managed to convince her co-star to stage a romance to mirror their big-screen one, she’s shoved into this fucking situation. Her career is all she has at this point and this is going to ruin it. She has worked for this all her life. There is nothing she hasn’t sacrificed to get where she is and she needs to get the fuck out of here or it will all go down the fucking drain. (I do have more info about her if you’re curious. The tag is #alex oc. This bio is short because I’ve been writing about her for months lol)

Quick facts:

*She loves musicals. Her favorites are Hamilton and Heathers at the moment.

*Most of her acting jobs have been horror movies/shows

*When she was younger, Alex always wanted to be on Broadway. This was never an option for her, however, since her parents didn’t have her trained in live performance or vocally, and a pivot could ruin the reputation they were building for her.

*She has trouble trusting people, especially friends. She’s only ever had one close friendship, and that didn’t end well. (see “the before”, which I’m currently editing and plan on posting some day, or #the before or #alex+seb)

Azklynn (she/her at beginning of story, they/them at the end) 19 (for the case of simplicity, they age the same as a human would), agender, unlabeled:

Azklynn is… terrified, honestly. This is their first time on Earth and, well, it’s looking like it might be their last. They’re not exactly sure how long it’s been but the shuttle that would return them home has surely gone by now. Azklynn has no idea where they’re going to go when, or if, they get out of here. At this point, they’ve lost all interest in getting out of here, but they’re trying to care because everyone else has entire lives that they need to get back to.

Azklynn had been waiting for years to come to Earth. They’d been studying its cultures since the third year of the school. In the fifth year of the school, they’d gotten a chance to take an Earthean language class and had picked English because their friend was taking it. They worked their buttocks off to be good enough at English to join the school trip to Earth in the fifteenth year of the school. But now, the month-long trip they’d spent years preparing for has turned into a real life nightmare. Everything here is so new, so different, and as much as they are enjoying it, someone from their species is not allowed to stay on Earth forever.

Additional character stuff: Human gender is weird. The idea that humans introduce themselves based on their genitals has always been a concept that is hard to grasp for Azklynn. Their species has four different sexes, although they are not always distinct as humans’ seem to be (obviously humans don’t always fit into distinct sexes, but Azklynn thinks they do (they weren’t taught about intersex people in their Earthean classes)). And the idea that your genitals determine your place in the societal structure is absurd. Of course, Azklynn’s culture isn’t perfect by any means, and they find other reasons to think less of others, but seriously.

When they mentioned these thoughts to Holly, she told Azklynn that some people were neither, and that they were called “they”. Azklynn knew Jade was called “they,” “he,” and “she,” so it made sense that some people were just “they.” Really, it makes more sense. Azklynn has sometimes wondered about being called “they.” Maybe it makes more sense than “she,” since this whole human idea of gender is completely crazy. But, this option is new information, so Azklynn will have to think about it.

Quick facts:

*Azklynn also hates the idea of sexuality labels as a concept. They think they needlessly limit people.

*Thanks to Alex, Azklynn has been getting into musicals, too. They really like The Sound of Music because they used to listen to it in English class, so it reminds them of home.

*Azklynn has always been fascinated by human culture, but they are especially entranced by the entertainment industry, since in their culture, time spent not working is seen as time wasted, so there is nothing like it back home.

*Because of this, they never quite get used to having days on end with no work to do.

*Azklynn’s Earthean classes were put together in the 80s’, so some things are a bit outdated.

Jade (they/he/she), 18, genderqueer, pansexual, gray-aromantic: Jade was about two months away from graduating high school when they were kidnapped. They were ready to leave their shitty small town, the friends they never really got along with, and the helicopter parents they were almost free from.

She had been planning to move across the country to study (I’m not exactly sure what actually) at (some college on the west coast USA). But, seeing as she has no idea how long she’s been trapped in this hellscape, she might have missed her one chance to escape her small town.

He’d been able to get a full ride scholarship, since his parents–who could very much afford it, by the way–were not willing to help cover any costs unless he went to the college in their hometown. Um, not happening. Not in a million years. But, he can feel the time running out as the days turn into weeks turn into months? Jade isn’t exactly sure. Time is weird here, but no one else seems to notice.

See, Jade isn’t fully human. Her mother’s mother–her grandmother–was actually a fairy. Jade’s mom has always despised that she’s part fairy. She hates anything that is outside the norm. Including Jade, it sometimes seems.

Jade had never really known their grandma, since she died when they were fairly young, but their grandpa loved to talk about her. He was fascinated with fairies and their magic. He passed that fascination down to his grandchild. Unfortunately, with their grandma unable to teach them and their mom unwilling to, they never learned how to actually wield their magic.

Still, sometimes, Jade notices things no one else does. Sometimes it’s little things–like the one time he caught the stormy sky flicker into a bright blue hue mid-fight. He had, of course, run for it, desperate for freedom. Then… nothing. Sometimes, he notices big things. Like how, when they wake up after missions, he swears they were out for longer than the few hours everyone assumes they were. Or, the weird, magical vibe he knows is coming from one of the bedrooms. Someone is hiding something, and Jade is going to figure out who it is. Hopefully without alerting anyone else to his search.

Quick facts:

*Jade has always hated Alex. They find her cheesy and think all her relationships were obviously faked. Needless to say, they’re not happy to be living with a girl that they deem spoiled and fake. (Jade also hates musicals, which doesn’t help Alex’s case) (dw, they become friends eventually)

*Jade had an older sister. When she was 17, she snuck out and ended up getting hit by a drunk driver in the middle of the night. Since then, Jade’s parents have been extra protective of Jade, who was 12 at the time. This has really strained their relationship with him.

*Despite her fairy heritage, Jade’s aesthetic leans more witchy. Her closet is mostly purples and other cool tones. However, she’ll never miss a chance to snatch some bold earrings or patches.

Holly (she/her), 18:

Holly loves everyone. Well, maybe not everyone, but it’s pretty hard to get Holly to dislike you. And even harder to get her to let you know.

Holly is the glue that holds the group together. She is a self-proclaimed meddler. When Alex and Jade argue about one thing or another, calling each other stuck-up or lazy, she’s there to mediate. When Azklynn wonders aloud why humans even have gender, Holly gently tells her that she doesn’t have to be a girl. When she notices Alex sneaking glances at Azklynn, she’s right there, encouraging her to go for it. And when she spies Azklynn staring at Alex while she eats… well, Holly always did love a good romance.

And she loves her friends. She’s never really had many, and despite everything, she’s really enjoying finally having a group. They have to rely on each other. There is no other way to survive at this point. Leaving people out isn’t an option. It’s new for Holly

Holly still struggles with letting the others in, though. She’s had a lot of problems with friends in the past. Growing up, she was the weirdo. The outcast. All she’s ever wanted was a good, solid group of peers to care about her. And now she has that. And she hates that she has to feel guilty for finally having that.

Quick facts:

*Holly grew up in a very small, secluded community. When they were very young, the kids in her community pinned Holly as the weird kid and she was never really included after that.

*Growing up, Holly would have said her best friend was comic books. No matter where she was, she always had a superhero comic tucked under her arm or in her bag. When she wasn’t reading, she was imagining fighting bad guys with her own superhero team

*Holly likes to focus on other people’s problems to avoid her own. That’s part of why reading appealed to her so much. It’s also why she has such a hard time letting people in.

(in first person so l don't give too much away)

It's going to be a long night. Just like after every mission, I have to go and restock the entire fridge. I've been keeping mental notes of the requests for the week, and it's looking like I've got a big list. And a ton of damage control.

Last week, when the restocks came, Jade had loudly complained that the house hadn't heard her requests, which she had made while she was alone. I've been worried for a while; she seems to be getting suspicious. I've caught her sneaking around a couple times.

Every time, she passes it off as simply investigating the house for clues. But I know better.

She's investigating us.

Just yesterday, I overheard him very obviously telling Azklynn that he hasn't had (insert food) in forever and he is dying to try it again. Just an hour before that, he'd let me know he was craving (another food).

I'm stupid. I know what they're doing. They suspect someone here has a part in this, and they're trying to figure out who it is. They probably asked everyone for different food and are trying to see which one is delivered. Jokes on them, I'm only adding things to my list if everyone's present.

There's a single knock at the front door. A single knock is safest; in case there is a miscommunication in timing. A single knock can be played off as coming from inside the house, if necessary.

"Come in!" I call without looking up from the list I'm writing.

There's a little swoosh sound as Mr. Weston unlocks the door. I hear his heavy footsteps as he walks over to the counter and the dull thud as he sets a hug box of toiletries down on the counter. He's been training his magic so long that he can open the front door's magic lock without his hands.

I've been working on my own hands-less magic recently, and I'm actually getting pretty decent at some simpler spells. And my gestures are more subtle for the bigger ones. This porject has really helped me.

"I'm thinking of adding in a new plotline." I say to Mr. Weston just to make conversation while he puts the paper towels away. "I've been working on something more overarching, maybe with like a main villain at the end but a lot of smaller villains working up to it. Like a puzzle to solve who the main villain is."

Mr. Weston contemplates this for a long moment before responding. "I think that could work. What are you thinking for the nature of your main villain?"

We discuss my new ideas for a long time. By the time we finally start getting somewhere, and he convinces me to take into account the limits of my illusion magic, he cuts the conversation off.

"We'll discuss this next week, alright?" He tells me, "Let's discuss this more next week.

You need to get some rest."

He's right. My illusion magic can take a lot out of me sometimes. Especially when it comes to fights, since some of it has to be tangible. I have some help, of course, but the majority of the coordination is on me. And today was an especially exhausting one. Even when everything is preplanned and prepared, things always go wrong, and I'm always left scrambling to fix them.

I head to my room, leaving Mr. Weston to set me to sleep for a few days until he restocks the fridge and l'm recovered. Then, we'll wake up and do it all over again.

Here I am, living my childhood dream. I'm part of a top-secret team of superheroes, fighting a new bad guy every week. I hope the others come to see it my way at some point, too. Then maybe they'll get more freedom.

Just as I'm about to enter my room, I turn to Mr. Weston and wish him goodnight.

✨She/her

✨Call me Lizzie I guess (fake name)

✨Aroace (aegosexual and aegoromantic)

✨used to be mushrooms-and-dragons, no promises I won’t change username name again

✨I post: fandom stuff, oc stuff, playlists (under #playlist or #playlist story), and occasionally art and random thoughts. It's mostly fandom rebolgs over here.

✨Other stuff (put in other posts cause this is getting long)

✨Hobbies ✨My fandoms ✨My OCs ✨Playlists ✨Tags

I always want to talk about my ocs and fandoms lol.

^These all link to Tumblr posts^

✨Find me elsewhere:

my Ao3: Don’t expect the writing to be good though, or for me to update often or even finish the two works that have been abandoned for almost two years

my Spotify: I make lot of fandom playlists, I plan on cross-posting my favs to here (under #playlist, #playlist story, or #and songs)

my other blogs:

@whatsacrush: for aroace and other pride things

(just typed this out and it's way longer than I intended...)

UMMM I've been really obsessed with my oc Alex (she/her) for a while. I've posted about her a bit on here (under the tags "the before" "alex+seb" "alex oc" and "puppetsverse", but she's a child actress. She has a best friend named Sebastian (he/him), and when they are fourteen, their parents stage a pr relationship between the two. It slowly erodes their friendship until Alex is forced to publicly accuse Sebastian of cheating on her, which obviously destroys his trust completely. To make things worse, the rumor mill runs it's course and "fans" eventually find pictures of Sebastian with his boyfriend and he gets outed.

Alex spends the next couple of years hopping from fake boyfriend to fake boyfriend. While all of her "boyfriends" know the relationships are fake, Alex doesn't really know when to let her guard down and stop acting, even when they are alone, so many of them accuse her of leading them on. She's too sacred to outright say that she doesn't like them back, as she fears their reactions, so she stays silent and let's them believe what they will, trying to ignore the issue. Meanwhile, she's hooking up with girls on set. I probably should've mentioned that she's lesbian. Sebastian knew, and her parents finding out was part of the reason they forced her to ruin her relationship with him.

She blames herself a lot for the reactions of those around her. She's been conditioned to always portray herself in the most perfect way. If her fans have a negative reaction, it's her fault. If her parents, or "boyfriend," or anyone else has a negative reaction, it's her fault.

She thinks she likes being a celebrity and always in the spotlight, but it's all she's ever known. She has to like it, because otherwise everything she's worked for--everything she gave up her childhood for--was worth nothing.

Then she gets kidnapped and meets some people who force her out of that way of thinking (I especially like her relationship with a person who hated her at first before getting to know her), but that's another story. I've posted about it under the "puppetsverse" tag if you're curious, but be warned, I wrote it in middle school and it shows lol.

I really like her relationship with herself and the way it impacts her relationships with others. Her and Sebastian are really interesting because they can relate to each other on many levels, but they also differ in some fundamental ways. While they are fake dating, Alex voices her hope that her and Sebastian can keep up their charade forever. She's accepted that she's going to end up in a lavender marriage to appease her fans. She doesn't want to leave the industry, since it's all she ever known. And she's fine with pretending to be someone she's not to achieve that--it's what she does anyway. Sebastian, on the other hand, plans to get the fuck out the second he turns eighteen and is out of her parents' grasp. At this point he has a boyfriend (that Alex knows about) and doesn't want to have to hide him for the rest of his life. He doesn't want to be in the public eye forever, chasing dreams that aren't his. It's been fun to explore the tension this causes in their relationship. Both think that the other will change their mind eventually, so they don't fully hear each other out (they are 14 and 15, after all).

I also mentioned a relationship with someone who hates her at first. Jade (He/She/They), who she meets while kidnapped, saw through her facade before they even met. Jade views Alex as just another skinny white girl pretending to be perfect to gain fame (they're not exactly wrong). Alex picks up on this hatred and definitely reciprocates. There's a lot more to it, but long story short, Jade eventually starts to see through Alex's exterior and realize how much she's hurting. He softens to her, and their feelings slowly turn to mutual friendship. Although their relationship is rocky at times, they have a ton of really good discussions. Jade is the one to finally convince Alex not to go back into the acting industry when they finally escape their captor.

(Also, in case you're curious, Sebastian does end up leaving the industry. It's after Alex is kidnapped, and definitely after he is 18, but he does it. Years later, he makes a documentary about what it's like growing up in the acting industry. He also reaches out to Alex a full decade after they stop talking, and they talk it out and make up because I don't do sad endings.)

Hopefully I'll be able to post the story of her relationship with Sebastian on Ao3 sometime.

It was everywhere. That stupid kiss. It was all Jade’s friends had talked about all day.

Even Jade’s for you page had been filled with Sebalex. There was no escape. Look, Jade wasn’t some anti-romance pessimist, but they had eyes. And common sense. It was obviously faked.

The pair had always been shipped, but the second they got their big break in that show a couple months back, the number of shippers multiplied overnight.

And they just had to jump on the attention and further the idea that girls and boys can’t be friends. There always has to be something else there.

In all honesty, Jade thought they were overrated. Like, sure, Alex was a great actress, and so was Sebastian, but so were the three other teens on the show. The only reason people cared about them was they were so often spotted alone together. But that was nothing new, either.

Maybe Jade just liked being a hater.

Or maybe it had something to do with the fact that all their friends had talked about all day was stupid fucking celebrities and their stupid fucking romances. Because every week was a different celebrity, or a different couple, and Jade was fucking tired of it.

Not like they could say any of that to their friends. They’d get their head bitten off. God, they needed better friends. They needed to get out of this fucking town.

Alex (she/her) age 7 and Sebastian (he/him) age 7

“Look around your room, you find the paint is peelin'. Your reflective skin is fallin' off your bones. Well, I must admit I know just how you're feelin'. Must grab each other’s collar, must rise out of the water. 'Cause you know as well as I do that it's no fun to die alone” -Climb to Safety by Widespread Panic

Alex age 15 and Sebastian age 14

“Blood runs thicker than water (the silt of our wedding bed)… Blood runs thicker than water (the pebbles where you lay your head). But both feel the same when your eyes are closed. I am the river's daughter (love, come in)… And you'll be her son when the water is fine.” -The Water is Fine by Chloe Ament

Alex age 18

“Worthless parents make stupid kids, the apple never strays. Your conscience never compromised, and ego never paid. I'd do anything for 20 bucks to feel more in control. 'Cause lemon hearts are bitter, 'til you sweeten up the soul. I'm sitting in the bathroom, I'm sobbing citrus tears. Everything I'll ever love decayed over the years.” -Unsweetened Lemonade by Amélie Farren

Alex age 21

“But when I take a better look at myself, I should be happy that I'm nobody else. I mean really when I look in the mirror, And see everything clearer…” -Nobody Else by Em Beihold

Alex age 25 and Sebastian age 24

“Cuts were starting to fester, I wrote you a letter, said the past was the past… And I hate these days, I oscillate like a fan between never forgiving and being someone who can, oh no. What the fuck happened to the plan?” -Weird Hills by Janani K. Jha

———

Context:

Alex is lesbian, Sebastian is gay. There are no romantic feelings between the two.

The reason Sebastian is missing for a decade is because him and Alex aren’t friends for that time, and Alex is the mc.

I’m planning on posting the full story at some point, I just have to edit it.

For additional context, their tag is #alex+seb or #puppetsverse for the whole universe

Picrew I used is by alohasushicore. Here’s the link:

Ask me about them. Please. I’m obsessed with themmmmm

#evelynverse- a 16 yr old witch gets pulled to the center of a centuries old magical stand off and manipulated into into waking her boyfriend’s dormant power. Turns out it was dormant for a reason. (Would love to turn this into a book one day)

#myenchantedforeststory- Four queer ex best friends find themselves stuck in an enchanted forest and have to work together to escape whilst battling with their past together and their own demons. (Would love to turn this one into a book too)

#puppetsverse- Four teens (a human, a witch, a fairy, and an alien) find themselves brought together to fight a mysterious force. But things aren’t quite as straight forward as they seem. More info here

#the before (or alex+seb)- a sort of prequel to the Puppets story. Alex has always had a great friendship with fellow child actor Sebastian. There’s no one she trusts more. So, while she isn’t happy about it, Alex is certain that their friendship can survive the fake dating pr stunt their parents want to pull. (Alex is lesbian and Sebastian is gay so there are no romantic feelings between them)

#courtnyxarcher- fanfic ocs. Courtney is Will’s college roommate and Archer is her SO. They’re in a qpr (read the fic here).

message from a past life- Lia has the power to view the memories stored in objects. When she tries her powers on an old jean jacket hoping to see memories of her great grandmother, Kayla, she instead finds herself in the memories of the jacket owner’s boyfriend- Nico di Angelo. Maybe watching Nico navigate uncomfortable moments in his love life will help Lia with her own (read the fic here).