A World Without Him
A World Without Him
Chapter 3
Tang waits a moment in front of the boat door, hearing a faint commotion coming from the other side.
Then the door swings open, with a cheery blue giant standing inside. "Tang! It's good to see you, my friend! Come inside, I'll be with you in a moment." He walks away from the door to make space.
"Ok, thank you, Sandy." Tang replies as he enters, closing the door behind him.
Sandy's boat always had a calming feeling to it. Maybe it was the color scheme, with shades of blue for the walls and soft browns, yellows, and oranges used for decor and furniture
Or maybe it was the atmosphere, with the copious amounts of friendly therapy cats, the lingering smell of tea, and maybe even the occasional rock of the boat from the waves.
Whatever it was, Tang was glad as it gradually calmed his nerves.
He had sat down on a plush couch with a coffee table in front with sandy in the side kitchen, most likely brewing tea.
Almost as soon as he relaxed into the cushions, a calico cat with bright amber eyes pounced onto his lap.
"Oof- heh. Hey there, Stella." Tang greeted the rambunctious cat. Stella had been bothering Tang ever since the gang came back to Metrapolis with things like small pounces or bites on his fingers.
He thought it was a bit annoying, but he did still keep extra cat treats in his messenger bag whenever he's planning on visiting Sandy.
Speaking of, Sandy had seemingly finished whatever tea he had been making as he came back to the sitting area, tray in hand.
He put the tray down on the coffee table and carefully handed Tang a steaming cup of tea. Sandy took one for himself as he sat to Tang's left, and Tang noticed the cat paw pattern that adorned the cup. He smiled to himself.
"So Tang, how was that book you mentioned? I remember you saying how the images were grainy and underdeveloped. Mytho... eh..."
"Mythos. The Mythos Sites: Professional Study. I finished reading it last night. I don't know why I did, though, because it felt like reading a last-minute book report done by a five year old!" He exlaimed loudly, waving his free hand in the air before taking a sip of his tea. Ooo, lavender.
"Haha! I can see why you didn't like it that much. I thought it might've been good since it's about Journey to the West and had a good summary." Sandy says, swirling his tea before taking another drink.
"It's not your fault, Sandy. It did look promising on the cover and in the intro," Tang comforted before grumbling into his cup. "...but it just devolved into ramblings about how these Mythos Sites "prove that the world was controlled by aliens" and "how the earth is hollow with otherworldly beings living inside" blah blah blah." Tang mocked as he moved his hands sporadically, almost spilling his tea on Stella, who just jumped and ran away.
"I still feel a bit bad, though. Hmmm... oh! Tang!" He suddenly says, leaning over to look at Tang. "Did you bring your sketch book?"
He reaches into his messanger bag and pulls out a small leather-bound notebook. "Yeah? I take it with me everywhere."
Sandy just smiles as he offers Tang a hand. "Then let's go and find some inspiration!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the end, Sandy had taken an entire canvas with him, paint pallette and all, while him and Tang wandered around Metrapolis looking for things to draw and paint.
They went to Pigsy's first, Tang with the excuse of getting "everyday life" sketches. They ended up talking with Pigsy most of the time, barely doing anything, but Tang did get some quick sketches of Pisgy's cooking process.
When they left, they had found a flower shop with sunflowers on the logo. Tang sat down next to Sandy as he started to sketch, sometimes looking at the painting next to him.
The next spot was the main square, full of advertisements and skyscrapers. This is where the weather station is, broadcasting new weather updates and changes.
The final stop was the library, in the back with the lamp and city records. The atmosphere was nice. Sandy had pulled out a third canvas from... somewhere, and is now skimming through random books off the shelves.
Tang was just reading a new edition of Monkey Cop: Back in the Streets, as he had also finished his sketches, when he suddenly heard rounds of footsteps entering the library.
This is when he suddenly remembered what he set that alarm for yesterday, and why he had set it up in the first place.
It was the day where the new book of "The Monkie Kings Bride" had been set to be shelved (one adaptation he personally doesn't like, too many cliches and it has a weird artstyle to him)
And he knew exactly what fans were coming... the chaos that would ensue. He needed to get Sandy and him out of there before they were suffocated by the crowd.
"Hey, uh, Sandy? We need to leave. Like, now." He stated as he quickly stuffed his sketch book, pencils, and erasers back into the messanger bag.
"What's wrong Tang? Why do we have to leave now?" Sandy asked as he started to follow Tang through the bookcases. "Why are we- oh. Oh, now I understand."
"Aw, CRAP." Why do I always get stuck with the annoying side plots?
The entrance is no longer visible, as hordes of people come in and group around the doors, waiting for that stupid book.
"Ughh..." Tang groaned as he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.
Great. Just great. Now he had to either a) push through the GIANT crowd to get through the overflowing entrance, b) wait for an opening to get through, or c) find out some other way out-
"Hey Tang?" Sandy speaks, pulling him out of his thoughts.
"Oh, uh, yeah, Sandy?" He says nervously. He has never liked crowds, and he doesn't want to stay here more than he has to.
"Can we go out through there?" Sandy points to a... fire escape door. Wow, how convenient!
*phew* "Thanks, Sandy." Tang says as he dodges a few stragglers on his way to the door, waving Sandy to come with.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They both walk out of the side alley that the library was connected to, swerving through the smaller outside crowd.
"Oh dang, I totally forgot about that! *huff* Sorry, Sandy." Tang says as he leans against a store wall.
"It's alright Tang. In any case, I really enjoyed today! I really liked getting out of the boat for a bit, and I'm very excited to hang up our paintings!" Sandy reassures.
"Heh, thanks, Sandy. I hope we can do something like this again!" He smiles. He then starts to wave Sandy goodbye.
Tang gets home without any issues. No annoying voices, loud music, or big fights. Just pure white noise in the bustling city, and the breeze.
He's glad for that. Everything is ok, and will be ok. He wants everything to stay like this.
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Just some Tang doodles for my au from class today.
Btw, there's some blood and dead bodies and spoilers for a future scene after the cut.
These are just some practice expressions for Tang to get the eye shape with the glasses right.
This is what's underneath the jacket he usually wears out in New Town TM.
This is when Tang snaps on the battlefield after the Medic Tent gets attacked a 3rd time with no reinforcements to help.
A World Without Him
Chapter 20
They stared. Stared and stared and stared and stared. They seemed frozen in shock, almost as if they had finally succumbed to the surrounding area's influence.
Tang didn't know what to do. Should he run? Shout? Try to blink this place away like it came to him in the first place? He didn't know. He couldn't figure out what to do. He should know what to do. But he didn't know anything.
What are they gonna do to me!? Oh my god oh my god oh mY GOD OH MY GOD- Can they touch me, take over me, KILL me?! AUUUUGH, I DON'T KNOW!
Cold sweat dripped down his neck, seemingly unaffected by the area as Tang took in short, raspy breaths. His throat felt as if it were on fire, and his eyelids begged him to shut, but he couldn't risk moving. He didn't want to trigger a response from whatever these things were. He didn't know what they could do.
This silent stand-off only continued. No one moved for what seemed like an eternity, the surroundings actually showing change from how long this had gone on for. The curtains parting behind the figures as a small syringe fell through a gap, slowly falling towards the hard, unforgiving floor.
Yet Tang stayed still, meeting the harsh gazes as if he was worried they would disappear out of view with the slightest coverage. His body started to shake as his hands gripped together so tight he would have been worried for blocked blood flow if not for this staring contest. The pain kept him focussed.
The syringe continued its descent as Tang started to waver. His jaw clenched as he tried to stay focussed, keeping him from changing the scene once again. His eyelids still started to fall, though, slowly encompassing more and more of his vision until he could no longer hold out. He was only human, after all.
As soon as he closed his eyes he shot them open once again, scared out of his mind now that the figures were out of his sight. The figures were gone, leaving empty air in their wake. His eyes immediately locked onto the syringe that kept its descent, still falling ever so slowly.
He wasn't out of the clear yet.
His breathing became more exasperated and frustrated as his eyes scoured the room, trying to find where those bastards hid now. He started standing up when his eyes failed him, his eyebrows pinching together in stressed concentration.
This finally brought them back out. Orange suddenly filled his vision as he tried to stand up, causing him to yelp and fall back into his chair. His limbs felt heavier than before, but he was too focussed on the blaring face of fear in front of him as the syringe continued to fall indoors the commotion.
“Oh fuck, he can definitely see us. Do you know what this means!? HE, CAN, SEE, US. That means our predictions all came to shit, and we wasted our time out here for all those years we could've been- UGHHHHH, we are so FUCKED when the Master hears of this!”
The face turned back and forth from focussing on Tang to focussing on the other figure, getting more hysterical as its mouth kept pouring out nonsense.
What are they going on about!? Masters, predictions, what even are these guys!?
However, through the sporadic jumble coming from the first one to the concerned expression on the other, they didn't seem hostile. They brought an odd sense of warmth now that they're closer to him. Tang was still weary, though, so he continued to stay put on his chair and tried to make out what this thing was saying. The syringe spun and flipped through the air, now only a foot above the ground as it seemed to fall faster.
“... and we thought the first time he was taken over that he had no aptitude! Master had to guide this doormat himself to even defeat that ice queen bitch, and even then it was just a combination circle! Is this why that bastard in the Between wanted this guy so badly!? What should we even do-”
“SHUT YOUR MOUTH. He isn't deaf, you know!” The older one shouted suddenly as he gestured to Tang, causing them both to look back at him while the poor scholar froze on the spot. “Now stop that running river of a mouth, and let's fix our mistakes. It clearly doesn't have a strong hold over him yet since he can see us now. You.” He suddenly addressed, looking at Tang with conviction as he pointed a finger straight to his face.
The scholar’s brows pinched together in worry. “Me???” He answered hysterically. The older figure moved quickly to crouch face to face with Tang. “We don't have much time here. I can't explain everything going on inside your head,” He started, quickly pointing at Tang’s forehead with a bony finger.
In the scholar’s peripheral vision, the blacks and whites started to fade, leaving small amounts of color. That can't be good. “But you must know that Thing that you're bound with cannot be trusted. It takes, it harms, it consumes everything it can get ahold of. We've had many like you before, trying to harness its power for mortal gain, but it never ends well.”
The tattered clothing of the older figure suddenly rammed into Tang's mind again, how this figure seemed to have almost been torn completely apart, similar to the cracks throughout the skin of the other figure.
“You must stay awake for all of our sakes. Don't let that menace back into your body, no matter what hellscape you might find yourself in.” It had a look of pure rage as it spat the warnings out, this emotion being the most prominent that Tang’s seen of it this entire time. The syringe is only a few inches off the ground, the blue liquid contained within it gaining back its hue.
“Don't let that thing manipulate you, control you, TALK TO YOU.” The other interjected, pushing the older one aside as the surroundings started to gain color rapidly.
“You need to make sure that it doesn't sink its teeth into you further.”
Indignation filled Tang as these warnings only gave more questions, more of the unknown that he couldn't predict. “THEN WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW?! YOU SAID I'M STUCK WITH IT BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN!? HOW DO I GET IT TO GO AWAY!? IS IT THIS STUPID SCRAP OF METAL?!” He stands up harshly, waving the wrist with the bell in front of the figure's faces. The syringe falls and falls and falls as Tang’s legs refuse to cooperate, buckling underneath him.
“No, no, NO. We need more time-”
“Stay in the village and avoid the monastery at all costs! WE NEED YOU ALIVE-”
*CRASH*
The syringe connects with the floor as Tang hits the ground, pieces of glass quickly covering the ground. He looks up wildly, seeing all the eyes look towards his hunched figure. Red Hair is back in her seat, her clipboard nowhere in sight as Manex hovers over his form from behind.
His eyes water so much that streaks flow down his face in waves, his knees aching from the collapse as his ears ring from the sudden influx of sounds. Through blurry vision, Tang sees Zach asleep in the bed. A voice knocks him back into this reality.
“Why is the staff rushing outside?” The old man asks, slowly standing up and pushing the glass shards away with his cane without a care as he looks outside. Manex quickly walks up to join him, having to dodge another staff member when he barreled out of the tent with numbers of supplies in his arms.
Now that Tang is focussing again, he hears shouting all across the tent from medical staff, heavy footsteps drowning out most of the current patients groans or cries. Aggressive Guy shoots his head up with a concerned look, a hand hovering over his M17 pistol cautiously while Red Hair does the same.
One staff member slowed down in front of the tent after a few more ran out in a panic, focussing only on the old man. Fear was clearly painted on her face. “A second surprise attack was issued after the initial attack on the Waning District which took out most of the cleaners and remaining soldiers on site. We need all hands on deck as there may be even more casualties under the rubble that the cleaners hadn't gotten to yet.”
She gave a slight bow of her head before she rushed off with the others. Manex bit her lip as the old man sighed. “Why can't they just let us have this? What more can they take from me?” He leans on his cane and rubs his nose bridge in frustration.
Red Hair and Aggressive Guy both stand up quickly, their stature secure and ready for orders. “Harrison and Smith, you both go and survey the damage while protecting the medical staff and remaining cleaners from anymore attacks. Manex, you come with me to the HHC.”
The old man then looks down at Tang’s pitiful form, a cold and curious look crossing over his face as he narrows his eyes. “And you, lucky prisoner, will join the cleanup mission. They may need someone to look out for triggers, be an extra pair of hands, or scream when the next attack might come. Now go along with Harrison. I promise he doesn't bite. Much.”
The old man then exited the tent with Manex following close behind and Smith along with them. Now it was only Tang and Harrison still in the room, and this guy's face is the complete opposite of happy. A single tear ran down the scholar’s face. I’m so screwed.
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So cool to see you responded to my ask! Your idea is super good, and I can see Wally having a crisis over it. I really like this au so far, and can't wait to see where you take it!
Hello! I really love your designs and idea for Nightstuck AU so much! I feel so sad for wally tho.
Anyway, I was wondering if Wally would try to go into the forest surrounding the neighborhood? Or go down the road that we can see on the website go offscreen? I wonder if, when he keeps walking for a while, he can either see the trees start to lose shape and color, or start to see the road become crumbly, with the area in front of it getting blurrier.
I actually have an idea for this exact thing, soo glad you ask!!!
Realizing that Wally can't wake his neighbors up by himself, he decides to look for help outside of home.
Home is surrounded by a deep yet colorful forest and he heads into that (equipped with a flashlight of course!). After walking in a straight line for what felt like hours he finally notices something in the distance. Picking up speed this 'something' seems to be a couple of houses!
Totally out of breath he reaches this place, still in hopes to find at least a single person who could help-
Only to realize he's back home.
(This definitely makes him question his reality-)
Yeah I thought of making an animation or little comic out of this, that's why is more of a story ^^' But I like your ideas aswell!!!
I also thought of designing the place around home a little bit. You know, give them a little lake, some fields or something :)
I am Bilal from Gaza, displaced to Egypt after 150 days of great hardship. I came here with some of my family members, leaving behind most of our loved ones and places of memories.
Life in Egypt is full of challenges. We are here without a residence permit, and prices are very high, making it difficult to secure our basic needs. We try to adapt to the new circumstances, but every day we face new problems.
The longing for Gaza always hurts us. We think of our family and friends who are still there, and every contact with them deepens our sense of distance. Despite all these difficulties, we try to hold on to hope and look for ways to improve our situation.
If you can provide financial support, even if it is small, it will make a huge difference to us in these difficult times: [https://gofund.me/ba5b76e9]
YES! Someone else finally says it!
I’m tired of some people spitting shit about the Adam v. Alastor fight
Yes, Alastor got cocky and had his ass handed to him.
HOWEVER: WE REALIZE HE TOOK AN ANGELIC WEAPON TO THE CHEST AND SURVIVED????
Demons die to Vaggie’s SPEAR, simply because of the nature of the weapon. We see angels and demons dying throughout episode 8 to these badass weapons.
And Alastor TOOK it. He got nailed directly in the chest, and yeah, suffered at very least a punctured lung or something (he was bleeding a LOT), and while he couldn’t physically get up, he got away.
Like, I’m sorry he wasn’t perfect in that battle??? It was super satisfying at first to see him go to town on Adam, but after the fuck up, he LIVED. He got AWAY.
I don’t know a single demon else that was hit by the axe that episode that lived. Alastor is not infallible, yes, I know this, but Jesus Christ y’all, give him credit for probably being the first demon EVER to survive that.
A World Without Him
Chapter 4
*2 week time-skip*
Tang was here again. This pitch black void that he can't move, see, or hear anything in.
He knows what's going to happen and that he can't do anything about it.
He can't stop anything that happens here.
He was always stuck.
So he just waits. He waits for it to start, waits for it to drag him down, waits for it to be over.
It doesn't take that long for it to begin like it usually does.
Voices suddenly flood his ears, but it sounds like there's more of them than before. It keeps getting louder and louder until something floods his vision.
The silhouettes that swirl around him seem familiar. He just doesn't know why. They talk and move and prod at him as he stays still: unable to do anything about it.
Then everything returns to void. Silence is all that he can hear.
Here it comes, he thinks.
He can feel the hands before they even touch him. Rushing from the depths as they grab at his ankles, pulling him deeper and deeper again.
Even though Tang knows he can't do anything against it, he flails anyway. Fighting the hands as they slowly overcome him. He still thrashes and kicks anyway.
He can't just do nothing over and over again.
But it's all fruitless as he gets dragged farther and farther down.
Then everything becomes bright.
Too bright.
The hands become more violent, dragging him down faster to escape the bright orange encompassing his vision.
The light is faster, however, as it catches up in a matter of seconds, covering everything.
Some hands let go immediately, while some still holding on seem to almost... disintegrate?
The light is almost unbearable as it keeps getting brighter and brighter.
Then Tang wakes up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He shoots up in bed with a cold sweat. He looks outside and sees it's still dark in the sky.
Tang takes a deep breath, then sighs before trying to think too much. It's a dream. Just a dream. Nothing is wrong with him. He's ok.
He reaches for his glasses on the nightstand before slipping on some slippers near the foot of the bed.
He's been having this dream more often lately: every night for the past week, to be exact. Nothing's ever different no matter what he tries.
He does nothing: he gets dragged.
He tries to move away: he gets dragged.
He fights the hands: he gets dragged.
But that's why he's confused. What was different about this time? Why was he "saved" from those hands this dream?
Stop, he tells himself. Nothing's going to come from thinking about it too much.
'This is bad. We can't let this happen again.'
Oh, great, another voice. Lovely. He thinks before pulling himself to a standing position.
He slowly walks to the kitchen to get some caffeine in him. Tang needs to wake himself up. He finds some coffee tabs lying on the counter from running straight to Pisgy's yesterday.
Huffing a small laugh at his own negligence, he picks one up as he changes the water in the coffee maker, and puts the tab in with a mug underneath that reads "I like my coffee black, like my SOUL" printed on it.
As he waits, he looks out the nearby window across the living room with a small crack between the curtains.
The city seems to be glowing with all the neon signs and lights from the lively cityscape below. He can hear faint voices of people out partying in the club two buildings down and can faintly see some people walk down the streets in front of his apartment.
Tang unconsciously walks toward the lights, finding comfort in them. Everything has basically come back to normal after LBD's reign, and people seem ok walking the roads at night again.
But still, he can't help but look in the shadows of his apartment, seeing if anything will jump out at him.
"Ah!" He screams when the beeping of the coffee machine reaches his ears, dragging him out of his thoughts.
Tang sags in relief as he goes to get his fresh coffee. After having that happen all week, you'd think he'd get used to the beeping after a while.
After grabbing the mug, he goes over to the living room couch. He looks back out the window and pulls the curtains back a bit more, letting more of the fluorescent light inside.
He picks up one of the discarded books on the coffee table, takes a sip of his coffee, and then starts to read again.
It's not like he had anywhere to be. Pisgy's night quickly got canceled after it was clear the kids wouldn't show due to training, work, or demon attacks, and Pisgy started to get an influx of business again from people feeling safer to go out after, well, everything.
Tang wasn't social to begin with, so everything just blurred after that. He never went out for fun, just necessities, and wasn't invited to things that often, either.
Money also wasn't really an issue for him, as he had some savings from his archeology days and some money from the military fund for day to day things.
So what should Tang do with all this new free time? Read, of course! As that was the only thing he could think of enjoying at the moment.
But, as fate allows it, Tang actually had something to do today. Grocerie shopping! Woooooo...
He groans as he leans back into the couch. He pulls himself up and decides to go out and get them now. Why? Because he doesn't want to be stuck with his thoughts: at least this early, anyway.
He chugs his coffee, throws the mug in the sink, and just slips his coat with some shoes over his pajamas. He's going out at this hour: he doubts people would care about him wearing some sweatpants and a band shirt with some sneakers out.
He feels the breeze when he walks out the front door of his building. He immediately starts to walk towards the 24/7 convenience store down the road.
The door rings as he pushes it open, and Tang beelines to the veggie and soup section.
He grabs a bit of everything, a few extra potato chips because why not, and heads towards the counter, barely holding onto everything.
'We need to tell ______ now. This has ____ on long ______.'
He quickly dumps everything on the counter. The teen working the counter looks unimpressed. "Do you have a rewards card?" She asked in a bored tone.
"Yup." Tang replies, popping the p before scanning the rewards card.
He looks outside as he waits. Seeing everyone walk in the streets, watching if anyone looks suspicious. He looks around the corners of the shop, too.
'Nothing' Next corner. 'Just some dust.' Next corner. 'Nothing.' Far end of window. 'Movement, but it's just some-'
"Your total is $134 and nine cents."
He jumps to face the cashier. "Oh. Yeah, uh, give me a sec." He fumbles his wallet for a minute, then swipes the card a bit clumsily.
"Have a nice night, morning? Eh, whatever." The teen grumbles before looking back on her phone.
Tang just grabs his stuff and leaves as fast as he can. He walks briskly along the sidewalk, occasionally glancing over his shoulder.
He finally takes a breath when he's back at his apartment. He takes off his shoes before going inside and just throwing the bags onto the counter.
He checks his phone before sitting down: no new messages. He sighs before putting it down to charge.
Then he just sits on the couch for a second. He doesn't want to eat, doesn't want to sleep, doesn't want to do anything right now.
So that's what he does. He just does nothing, staring at the ceiling, unmoving until he can see the daylight flowing from the window.
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Chapter 11 has been posted! This is the last one I can paste over, so the writing might take longer to post now.
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