longestnight_old | Rock'em, Sock'em Recruits

Reading, Berkshire, was one of the larger towns in Britain, but this was also because of the myth population living quietly alongside the humans. There were very few that believed in fairies anymore, but some old superstitions had still endured the passing of time, and that was enough for the hobs to get by.

They were used to a quiet life there, and were usually untroubled by the outside world - or even the world of humans they lived side by side with.

At least until all this nonsense with the fearlings started. Everyone in the myth world knew that change was happening and it was a change for the worse rather than the better. When word eventually came that most of the Guardians had been captured by this evil force, by this Kuk, they knew the world was in trouble.

If the Guardians couldn't stand against them, then who could?

This was why, when the sky crack with lightning and opened him and a strange...thing fell down through it, cracking the asphalt where it landed, in the middle of their community's market, their first reaction was fear.

"What is it?"

"I don't know."

"Looks a bit like them human contraptions, it does."

"It can't be human, it fell out of the sky. And it's covered in slime."

"Don't touch it! Everyone stay back!"

The strange metal thing, whatever it was, suddenly sat up, staring at them all with an empty void of a face, before turning in one direction, running forward and smashing the facade of a building like it was nothing more than tissue paper.

"Everyone, clear out, take shelter! Blin, see if you can get find one of the tooth fairies to take a message to the Guardians! There are usually a few about."

"On it!"

The strange metal creature seemed to try to speak to them but the words were in a language alien to them and it sounded hostile.

Then it turned and went back to its rampage. Oddly, it didn't seem to be attacking any of them and all the damage to the buildings was more cosmetic than anything, but there was no telling if that would hold true for long - or if the creature would limit itself to just their settlement. If it laid into the town, with all its crowds of humans and larger buildings...

*"You're all in danger! You need to take shelter immediately!"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"New guys?" The older man's voice was hesitantly curious. "Guess that makes sense, 'cause I'm definitely not where I was," he adds, mostly to himself. He huffs out a sigh, resting his staff on his shoulder and waiting about somewhat patiently, as the fellow with the big vocabulary was taking the initiative with questioning the newcomer.

His wand hadn't strayed far from his hand and Remus had it back up and ready in just a moment, turning to aim toward the unexpected voice.

Sue him. He was a bit jumpy after everything.

Of course, teenage boys appearing out of nowhere were hardly likely to be entirely safe, but Remus watched him for a moment before lowering his wand. "Slight bit of miscommunication and conclusions jumped to." He waved to the green guy's vehicle. "I'm afraid some of us mistook the...muggle mechanical contraption for the source of soundwaves that were destroying everything around." He reached up, scratching the back of his head. "We did get it sorted, though."

Because, apparently, somebody had to speak actual ENGLISH.

Then he blinked at the green guy again. "Wait. Do you mean that we've become ghosts?" Which were...the only semi-corporeal beings Remus knew about, really.

Sirius walked back over to Remus, reached over, and ran his hand over the back of the man's neck before snaking it up to ruffle his hair.

"If we're ghosts could I do this? Honestly Moony, have some sense." Sirius then looked at Jack to address him. "These two just can't beat to tell you the truth. You see, there wouldn't have been so much chaos if your sheep hadn't got loose and run rampant through this tiny, tiny city. We had to corral them and after several hours of that we were rather hungry so I'm afraid we had to eat them all. Sorry about your flock. On the bright side that means you can stop bleaching your hair to blend in with them."

Jack looked somewhat discomfited and looked around.

"You're not - you're not like...confessing to cannibalism, are you?"

Sometimes-- a lot of times-- Sirius had this habit of exaggerating every movement. He had a great deal of experience with it, as prone to dramatics as he was, and just at this moment he used said experience to roll his eyes in the most obvious manner possible to the point that even his head moved.

"I said sheep you idiot. You know, lambs? Those white wooly things you watch after with that staff of yours." Sirius gestured in front of him as if he was grasping a shepherd's crook. "Have you lost your brains because you were so busy getting intimate with your--"

Oh, Remus could see where this was going. "Accio newspaper," he muttered, glad he hadn't put his wand away. Sure, this was one of those spells he could do without a wand, but it was always easier with one.

Which was why, by the time Sirius got around to starting to insinuate intimate relations between the shepherd and his flock, Remus was ready with a rolled up paper to bap him on the nose. "Bad Padfoot. No biscuit for you." He sighed, shaking his head. "I can't take you anywhere, honestly. As for that? Yes, you could have if we were both ghosts, you great woolly-brained nitwit."

"Can't be ghosts," Simon starts, turning toward the pair of wizards. "'Cause I'm sure as hell not dead, and I think I'd remember if something had tried to kill me," he explains, then grins as Remus smacks his apparent friend. "With his record so far, might wanna try gaggin' him with it if we want to get anything useful out of our barefoot friend here."

"Okay, first of all, sheep aren't what I protect. But more importantly, you're not ghosts. You're myths."

Jack tried to figure out where to start. Even though he'd explained this many times, he still hadn't figured out a good way to explain it.

"You're in a different world - one that's in danger. A being known as Kuk is trying to reach into our world from the darkness outside it. Because of what he's been doing, and reality getting a little thin, people like you have been getting pulled here from other worlds."

Sirius didn't appear to be discouraged by the swat on the nose. He did, however, back off and flashed Remus a not so apologetic grin.

"Yeah, good luck gagging me." Sirius muttered before turning once again to their prematurely white friend.

"I'm a myth? This is news to me. All this time I've been missing out on the wine, virgins making sacrifices in my name, and, most importantly, the men fawning all over me." Ooh, did that mean he was going to get all of those? He could really get used to this delusion of grandeur thing.

"That's how it went in Greece and Rome, right? Kill a cyclops, skin a lion and suddenly you've got a cult holding ritual or--"

"Silencio!" Remus jabbed his wand at Sirius, because he could only GUESS what was coming next.

"Sirius," he finally said, putting his wand away. "We're not going to learn anything if you keep prattling on. Now. Let the good shepherd actually speak and explain so we can find out what in the name of Merlin's baggy Y-fronts is going on."

"This is a world where - by complete coincidence - people in this world thought up your stories and wrote them as fiction. And now because a horrible being from outside of the universe, called Kuk, is attacking the world and because of the damage he's caused to reality, the people that read and love your stories are imagining you here. They're unconsciously pulling you into our world and turning you into myths - magical beings who thrive on belief - like myself."

Jack kicked off and flipped down to the ground, but didn't approach them.

"The name's Jack Frost annnd you're not the first people to end up pulled here from your homes. We've already picked up a few others and given them a safe place to stay."

Simon raises an eyebrow, then snorts as Remus effectively silences Sirius. "Now there's a trick I could've used a lot back in my day," he comments, then sighs. "Or people might have wanted to use on me," he finishes, then listens to Jack.

"...fighting big nasty things with the power of belief backing you up?" The tone is slightly disbelieving, but after a moment, the old man smirks rather knowingly. "Makes for a pretty good story. Thought mine was long done, but I guess I've got a few more chapters in me."

Rock'em, Sock'em Recruits

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject